Do Irish guys have the “gift of the gab” like their American counterparts? -- Survey finds American guys are chattier than American girls

New research has shown, perhaps surprisingly, that it is in fact men who spend more time chatting on the phone as compared to women.

Relationship psychologist Susan Quilliam says, “The classic joke is that it's the girls who are on the phone for hours. But actually now it's guys who are becoming bigger fans of the phone conversation - particularly if they want to be in touch with friends and family who've moved abroad.”

FooTalk conducted a survey amongst 500 Americans which determined that men are ‘better at speaking to friends and family on the phone and have more International friends.’

Does your American guy keep in touch with his pals in Ireland or somewhere else abroad? Would you find it annoying or endearing that he spends more time chatting on the phone than you do, and with more people?

The trend of women being the chatty-kathys on the phone has certainly shifted according to the new survey conducted on behalf of FooTalk, a new app that makes international calling much more competitive.

The survey found that American men know an average of 21 people living overseas who they keep in touch with, compared to American women who only keep in touch with 15 on average.

It was found that American men stay on the phone longer than women as well, averaging around a half an hour of chat time for men, and only 15 minutes for women.

The reasoning behind the difference in chat times with those abroad is attributed to the fact that women may be more wary of high charges for international calls.

“Women may be put off by the thought of high costs to call abroad,” said Graeme Hutchinson, co-founder of FooTalk and former sales and marketing chief and founding management team member of Virgin Mobile, “but by using new apps this could be a thing of the past. They can save money whilst also investing in their friendships by connecting on a more personal level.”

Hutchinson added that “Facebook and Twitter might keep you abreast of your friends’ lives but there’s always more to be had from a conversation – even if the other person is in a different country.”

“At this time of year when people are more determined to save money after the festive period those with friends and relatives living abroad should know there are very low cost and free ways to stay in touch with friends, colleagues and loved ones.”

Quillam added that, "Hearing someone's voice is a far richer experience than simply seeing words on screen. You get to not only learn more about what the other person's thinking and feeling, but they get to learn more about you.”

“Add to that the fact that calls are fully and instantly responsive, immediate and interactive. If you talk to someone on the phone, you're fully focused on each other, minute to minute. It's a way of connecting with someone and sharing their daily life – even if they're far away.”

The majority of those surveyed were found to be gossipers as well! 56 percent indicated that they rang their friends abroad to share in gossip, rather than big or important news, more regularly.

Perhaps the lads were ringing home to get the latest GAA gossip! Surely they could talk for hours about the latest football, hurling or rugby matches back home.

The survey was conducted on behalf of FooTalk, a new mobile app that allows free WiFi calls internationally, and highly competitive rates for other types of phone calls. Learn more about FooTalk here.